Ultra- Thin Artificial Magnetic Conductor with Metallic Posts for a 94 GHz On-chip Antenna

Abstract

System-on-Chip has become an excellent solution for the high-level integration of systems. However, the primary barrier is the insufficient radiation from the on-chip antenna due to the lossy silicon substrate. In this paper, an ultra-thin artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) surface is proposed whose ground plane is on the top of the substrate to isolate it completely, and the thickness is reduced to house AMC within the oxide layer of the standard CMOS process by employing metal vias in the stack-up. The AMC structure is implanted for a 94 GHz on-chip monopole antenna and shows gain enhancement by 4.5 dBi with a radiation efficiency of 23%.